Advice needed with suspension choice/setup

[Lewis.]

having suffered all last summer, I need to change the suspension on the Nova, as it handles like crap. It's far to low and hard, it bounces and skips about, and understeers like a shopping trolly

current set up:
C20XE and F20

Front: Spax RSX coilovers - unknown spring rate, very short springs (wound right up) came off a tarmac rally car. never adjusted the damping
Poly bushed


Rear: Spax RSX adjustable dampers - fitted just as they came off the above mentioned rally car
approx -40mm G-max springs (the spax ones were mega low)
poly bushed


Ideally I'd like it slightly higher, and a much softer, more forgiving ride. I'm not exactly The Stig, and tend to potter through the bends because I don't want to bin it lol :roll:

So what would the people in the know recommend? Try some different front springs and adjust the damping? Or ditch the coilovers and go to a conventional fixed platform setup? I know people rave about the thick ram bilsteins etc

Cheers :thumb:

[Edd]

Buy a yellow big piston Bilstein kit off Courtenay that comes with XE rated springs IMO

Or just do the front and change the rear springs

Never ever handle like a smallblock tho. :p

[Lewis.]

what sort of money are we talking about for those Edd? I know you have them on your Sport. Are the uprated springs an off the shelf job or custom?

I'd quite like to see what results different front springs would make, especially as they are only about £15-£20 each from RD

I agree, small blocks do feel different, but they can't outpace a big block in a straight line lol

[Lewis.]

I think I'm going to try some different front springs and adjust the damping before I shell out £400 odd quid on a new setup.

What spring length and rate should I go for? how do I work it out?

[mowgli]

ring the bloke at spax. he's bound to have supplied springs to suit an xe nova before

[Lewis.]

Spax springs come with scene tax though lol I was intending to purchase them from Rally Design. I suppose they might be able to help, though it would be nice to see what other folk have in similar applications

[Stuart]

Faulkner or yorkshire springs.

Back the damping DOWN, thats why its hard and skittish.

[Mieran]

rally design springs are 2.25" and rsx springs are wider so you'll need to machine the cups down

[meritlover]

one piece of advice is to NOT collect the springs from ballpoint pens to use with Spax shocks. the results will be disappointing.

[Stuart]

one piece of advice is to NOT collect the springs from ballpoint pens to use with Spax shocks. the results will be disappointing.

Get enough and mount them suitably and they'll be fine.... might weigh a shed load and be bigger than the car for one corner lol

[Edd]

one piece of advice is to NOT collect the springs from ballpoint pens to use with Spax shocks. the results will be disappointing.

Spam. Reported

[meritlover]

denied

[meritlover]

Get enough and mount them suitably and they'll be fine.... might weigh a shed load and be bigger than the car for one corner lol
reported as spam...
yet you clearly support the technicality of the suggestion...

[Lewis.]

Faulkner or yorkshire springs.

Back the damping DOWN, thats why its hard and skittish.

I'll have a look for the above places, thanks
I'll try backing it down (once I tax it :roll:) what's the procedure for setting the damping up? set it to one extreme and keep adjusting untill it feels right? And I assume it's the compression that's adjustable, not the rebound?


rally design springs are 2.25" and rsx springs are wider so you'll need to machine the cups down

Ah right, are they a long way out? It's no problem to stick them in the lathe


one piece of advice is to NOT collect the springs from ballpoint pens to use with Spax shocks. the results will be disappointing.

lol Maybe that's where I've been going wrong

[Mieran]

think spax springs are 60mm so you'll need to take off 3mm of the cups

[Stuart]

Usually the rebound is fixed, or adjusts at the same rate as the bounce if you are lucky.

I tend to set it fully soft then wind her up from there, others go full hard and come down but I've found that's a pain in the ass literally.

[skud52]

I bought the 8inch length 350lbs springs from rally design and they improved my car no end! Best £40 ive spent on suspension

[Lewis.]

think spax springs are 60mm so you'll need to take off 3mm of the cups
ah that's nut much, will stick the cups in the lathe


Usually the rebound is fixed, or adjusts at the same rate as the bounce if you are lucky.

I tend to set it fully soft then wind her up from there, others go full hard and come down but I've found that's a pain in the ass literally.

That makes sense, especially as I want it as soft as I can get away with, not the other way round.


I bought the 8inch length 350lbs springs from rally design and they improved my car no end! Best £40 ive spent on suspension


Is that with an XE? Is that a fairly soft spring if more on the firm side?



So is summary, 350lbs 8" springs, and start soft and work up? I know what I'm doing in the new year lol

[Balley]

I know what I'm doing in the new year lol

Sitting on your **** watching me work??